Vehicles include various components that generate heat that must be dissipated to maintain the performance of the components. In one example, vehicles, and in particular hybrid-electric vehicles and electric vehicles include power electronics that generate a significant amount of heat. To dissipate the heat generated by the power electronics, cooling systems and cooling loops including a working fluid absorb thermal energy from the power electronics and transfer this thermal energy to ambient air surrounding the cooling loop.
The thermal energy that is transferred to the ambient air is referred to as “waste heat” and represents lost energy that is not utilized by the vehicle or vehicle systems. As consumer demands for vehicle efficiency and fuel/energy economy increase, minimization of lost energy is desirable.
Accordingly, a need exists for alternative apparatuses and systems for harvesting waste heat from cooling loops.